One of the best rock documentaries of all time is back in cinemas for a restored and extended edition
Bohemian like this!
Rivalries, tragedies and, above all, great songs, DIG! Has everything a good rock ‘n’ roll documentary needs, and to celebrate its 20th anniversary it’s heading back to cinemas.
DIG! XX is a remastered version of the classic rock-doc, which charted the friendship and rivalry between '90s indie rising stars The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Focusing on the love-hate relationship between respective frontmen Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Anton Newcombe, it was shot over the course of eight years from 2,500 hours of footage, and won the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.
This remastered release expands upon the original film with 40 additional minutes of footage, and an expanded overdub narration from The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Joel Gion — the original release was solely narrated by Taylor-Taylor.
Just dandy
“The original documentary captured a definitive moment in indie music history and garnered awards around the world, whilst being praised for its authenticity and boldness,” reads the re-releases press blurb.
“DIG! XX brings the epic tale to the present, diving into the clash between art and fame as two indie bands wrestle with the pull of the mainstream and the price of success.
“From high-stakes ambitions to the gritty reality of life on the road, the documentary reveals an unfiltered view of rock-and-roll’s inner struggles while spotlighting the challenges that fueled two of the 1990’s most influential indie bands.”
Despite the fresh input from Gion, the original film is one that the two bands have moved to distance themselves from in the years that have followed its initial release.
The Dandy Warhols in particular have questioned the motives behind its framing, with frontman Courtney Taylor arguing the footage is shaped to make his band mere foils. Whatever the truth may be, it makes for a gripping documentary narrative — and one that can’t be missed in its newly-extended — and hopefully illuminating — form.
DIG! XX is in cinemas for one night only, March 25th, before getting a wider home release from March 28th.
As for what both bands are up to now? The Dandy Warhols last record, Rockmaker, was released in March 2024, and last played gigs in the UK in August 2022, while The Brian Jonestown Massacre return for a nationwide UK tour this February.
